Money is a Test || The Family Business Pt.2 || Pastor Diego Mesa

Welcome to the ALSS Podcast. Here at ALC we seek the loss, teach

the found, and send the disciples. We truly hope you're encouraged by this

week's message. How many of you have just been experiencing a lot of noise

in your life lately, just a lot of noise. The noise could be

depression, discouragement, just noise of failure, noise noise of frustration, agitation,

irritation, no noise of anxiousness, noise of fear, noise from the

lie of the devil. I don't know if anybody's been feeling a lot of

noise lately, But here's the scripture I want to share with you. It's

found in Judges, the first chapter. It says this, after the death

of Joshua, the Israelites ask the Lord, wats this? Who of us

is to go first to fight against the Canaanites? And the Lord answered,

Judah shall go up and give it and give it to the land. In

other words, Judah first. If you look at the word Judah in the

Hebrew, Judah means praise. And if you're right now feeling noise because you

feel like you're in a battle, it's time to send praise up because it's

a spiritual weapon. Here's what I know. Here's what I know. When

you are in a battle, you don't feel like praising God. When you're

in tough times, you don't feel like you want to give glory to God.

But in those tough times is when you need to push through it with

praise. And I sense it. There are a lot of people that the

devil is been stealing their praise because of disappointments and because of delays and because

of denials. But right now you're going to stand on your feet and it's

more than the noise. It's the spiritual weapon of sending praise out to the

battle and begin to praise God, declare victory, begin to thank God.

I'm not asking you do you feel like it. I'm not asking you do

you want to do it? Know that it is a spiritual weapon right now

that the enemy hates and we're praising God for the victory. We're praising God

for the strength, for praising God for the provisions, were praising God for

the answers. We're praising God for the breakthroughs. We're praising God for the

healings. We're praising God for the Salvations. We're praising God because he's faithful.

Were praising God because he's good, he's generous, he's kind. We're

praising God because God's present is with me. God will never leave me nor

forsake me. I'm praising God because the devil can praise God. And I

will lift my hands and I will open my mouth, and I will worship

the Lord, and i will worship God no matter what it looks like.

And I'm believe in God today in Jesus' name. Amen. Sometimes you just

need to do it. Don't ask yourself, just do it. You may

be seated, No, no stand out. I forgot him. So we're

supposed to read the Word says, praise silences the devil Psalm's eight two.

Praise silence the Death's time for the devil to be shut up. And if

you don't praise and open your mouth, I promise you he'll talk louder than

your praise. You need to shut his mouth and you need a praise.

Let's read the Word today where you get in the message. Genesis fourteen reads

when Abram came back from his victory over Cheslolum the other kings, the Kings

of Sodom went out to meet him at chees val Valley also called King's Valley,

and Malchizedak, who was a king of Salem and a priest of the

Most High God. Remember king and priest. There's only one other person that

it walks in those titles. His name is Jesus. He's called the King

of Kings and the Lord of lords, and Hebrews he's called the high Priest.

So it goes on and it says, brought bread and wine to Abram.

Remember bread and wine? Who said I am the bread of life,

I am the bread of God? Who said that Jesus on the night in

which he was betrayed? The Bible says, and he took bread and he

took wine. What does the bread represent to us his body? And what

does the wine represent? I want you to see this right now, because

Abram is about ready to be blown away, because here is a mysterious man

as he's walking down a road with victory, with camels and horses full of

spoils. This king and priests meet him, who all of a sudden offered

him communion, and he's getting a revelation and he's getting a four picture of

Jesus right now, wats this? And he said, made the most High

God, who made heaven and earth, bless Abram, May the most High

God who gave you victory. And I had the word today over your enemies

be praised. After he heard that and saw this man, Abram, who's

not a stupid man, who's not a man who could be manipulated, who's

not a poor man, Abram gave Malchizedak, this king and priest a tenth

ten percent of all the loots that he had recovered. You may be seated.

It's pretty powerful. Why would anybody do something like that? Why is

this even in the Bible. If money and is materialistic and giving is so

materialistic and so worldly, then why are these scriptures in the Bible? Why

are they in the Bible? Because that'd be very very confusing to me.

And you'll and we'll come back at the end and see that this story is

talked about again in the New Testament. But here's some opening thoughts of what

you just read right now. And the thought is this, after you've received

a victory in your life, who do you acknowledge as the one who gave

you that victory? Now, let me first tell you second service my favorite

services. First service, you are my second favorite service. Now you could

easily come up the ranking to become my first It's all about how much you

are engaged in this message. Okay, so one more time. After you

receive a victory, who do you acknowledge as the one who gave you that

victory? Abram said, God is the one. I'm a pretty bad man.

I have three hundred and eighteen servants, that's how wealthy I am.

But I couldn't have beat four kings today if God wasn't with me. He

recognized when you have victories in your life, who will you acknowledge it gave

you those victories? And when you get paid, when you get your loot,

when you get that's your income, who do you give portions of that

too? Will God be included with your mortgage payment, or with your utility

bill or your gyms? Or God is not included in that? Abraham recognizes

he's going to get a portion of this. The third thing that Abraham does

in this and this ought to make you want to slap yourself when I say

this right now, Abram is a pretty bad dude. And if you understand

the history of Abram, you'll understand. I mean, how many of you

know if you have three hundred and eighteen employees, you have a pretty big

business. If you have three hundred and eighteen servants in your house, you

probably are a person of wealth. Right. That's how he that's his kingdom

business right now. Okay, So I would say in the natural, he's

on the higher scale, okay, of society. But when he comes down

this road and he meets a man who operates in two office as a king

and a priest, and then brings him communion, he recognizes, I am

no longer the higher in my eyes. This guy is the higher in my

eyes. I thought that he was the lesser a few moments ago. Now

I recognize I'm a lesser, and that's why I'm going to give him ten

percent, because I want the higher's blessing in my life. Okay, I

said that, and it just went over your head because you don't understand what

I just said. You do not tie to a lesser person because a lesser

person can't bless you. You always tied to a higher person because the higher

person can bless you. And he got a revelation of that that day,

and the higher person I'm giving to is not just this man. I'm giving

to Jesus. And only people that tied have a true revelation of who Jesus

is. And until then you will struggle to understand who Jesus is, what

he did for me, how he's shed his blood, how he sacrificed,

how he redeemed me from hell, and his love and goodness. But if

you're just coming to faith, that's okay because you're going to grow in that.

But all in that scripture is Jesus. He's the one that ultimately receives

our finances, the tithe and the offering, though it comes through the church.

The faith that you're releasing with that goes up to heaven. When I

was a little boy, I grew up, like you know, as a

Catholic. So I went to Catholic school. I say, I was a

Roman Catholic. And only if you know what a Catholic is will you recognize

that that's the higher echellon of Catholicism. Because you go to Latin Mass,

you do now go to English masks. So here's what you need to know.

I'd go to Mass with my grandma and maybe my mom would give me

a dollar, and when the basket was being passed, I'll me remember when

the basket was being passed, So I pull out that dollar. And I

remember this one time, my grandmother lovingly slapped my hand and she said meho,

which is a term of endearment for Latin people. She say, meho,

the church don't need your dollars, and she pulled out her little coin

purse and took out a few pennies and threw them in the offering plate.

Well, I grew up with that mentality, and it's amazing to me how

many people today still have that mentality. The Church don't need your money.

And if you're going to give some money, just give God a little tip,

get out your little coin thing and put it in there, and feel

good about what you're giving. But that's the mentality. I didn't realize that

I was giving into the family business. And in the family business is where

we feed people, and where we clothe people, and where we take care

of people. And when I give to God, God gets involved in my

personal finances and my personal business. So I love the term. When people

say I can't afford to give, you can't afford not to give? A

baby if you believe that you are the higher, then don't give. But

if you believe you are the lesser compared to God, then you can't afford

not to give. So here's some thoughts I want to share with you as

we open this up. I want you to recognize how we handle money as

a test either shows wisdom or foolishness, responsibility or irresponsibility. What we do

with our money is a test. Whether we give it toward necessities or we

give it toward luxuries, whether we spend it and we save it and we

give it How we view money as a test. Do we view money as

a source or do you view money as a resource? Do we view money

as something that we control or something that controls us? You know, tests

are not often lights, they're often frowned on, but tests are really good.

Tests are evaluators, Tests are revealers. Tests are kind of measurers.

Am I high, am I low, am I medium? And every once

in a while we need to be test. How many of you know we

grew up in a world where tests are given oftentimes. How many of you

know are familiar with drivers tests? How many of you know when you go

to you know when you go to college. We have life Pacific doctor Angie

out there. You have to take an entrance test, right, so if

you become an American citizen, you have to take a citizen's evaluation. Tests

are often given. How many of you have to do blood tests? How

many of you have to do blood tests? So there's all kinds of tests.

How many of you when you date someone you should give them a test?

Maybe that's the problem. How many of you know when you marry someone

they had better pass some tests. Maybe that's the problem. You know,

when I was dating Cindy, I didn't realize it. She suddenly was testing

me like a wise, shrewd woman. Does I know? She was overwhelmed

by the kid and how he looked the wambam Yet, baby, you ain't

gonna find anything less. This is a man. You've been dating boys.

This is a man. But my looks alone didn't impress her. Here's what

she wanted to do. She tests me and suddenly she said where do you

live? That was a test. She wanted to make sure I had a

place to live. She said where do you work? That was a test

to see if I have a job. Where do you bank at? How

many of you getting the point here. I thought it was this conversation,

but she was checking off in her head whether I was qualified or not.

She saw how I ordered from a waitress or a waiter. She saw the

tip that I left. She asked me about my family life. She was

testing me, and ultimately thank God that I passed the test. Now,

how many of you know men only have one test. She's a brick out

letting it all hang out. That's our test. We got to get a

little smarter like the ladies. You know. It's amazing to me how one

hundred dollars bill outside of the church can look so small, yet with inside

the church it looks so big. People have an open palm outside the world

to give their ben Franket away, but they have a clinched fists to give

that ben away to the church. I don't know what it is, but

the reality is this, you know what. I give a mortgage payment away,

I give a utility bill away. I give a Starbuck payment away or

money toward that. I give my cable provider, my Netflix, whatever that

might be. I give my restaurant, I give my market away. I

give my wardrobe away to pay money for that athletics and sports and interests and

pleasures. When they take my money or I give my money, I've never

looked at them and say, I am insulted that you have ASKEDMA for my

money. I am so offended that you took my money. But yet you

come to church and you hear people say I am so offended that they talked

about money. I am so upset and insulted they I will never come back

to that church again. I don't even know what I'm talking about. Why

don't you act offended outside the church. Why aren't you insulted outside the church?

Don't be a hypocrite, be equal dispersers of your offenses. This is

becoming my favorite service. I don't like first service no more. Here's what

the Bible says in Matthew sixteen twenty one. Where your treasure is there will

your heart be also. See, money is a test of your heart.

It has nothing to do with can you afford to give it or can't you

afford to give it? Are you in debt or aren't you in debt?

How much do you make minimum wage or maximum wage? It has nothing to

do with that. Giving is a test of our hearts. Here's a few

quotes that I want to share with you when it comes to giving. John

Wesley said, get all you can without hurting your soul, your body,

or your neighbor. Save all you can, cutting off every needless expense,

Give all you can. Pretty good wisdom. Here's the next quote. Riches

should be admitted into your house, but not into your hearts. We may

take them into our possessions, not into our affections. Pretty good watch this

one. George Washington Carver said this a long time ago, but it was

almost as it was written. Today. We have become ninety nine percent money

mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying

a little systematically and probably for the rainy day which is due to come,

can almost be listed among the lost arts. Pretty sound wisdom there. But

I want you to recognize that money is completely a test of our heart toward

God. It tests whether God is our priority or not, whether God is

our preference or not, or whether God is really our pursuit or not.

In numerology, if you were to study biblical numerology, you'll go across the

number ten, and the word tithe means ten. That's all it means.

You could look that up in any secular dictionary. Just look up the word

tithe, which is a biblical word, but you'll look it up in a

secular dictionary and you will see that it says ten or ten percent. Okay.

So the number ten in numerology can mean blessing or cursing. It can

mean law, but it also can mean test. So the tie is a

test of your heart. Stay with me, Let me explain to you.

Let me show you biblically what I'm trying to prove out to you today.

How many commandments were there? How many plagues were there? Ten plagues were

a test. Ten commandments are a test. There were Matthew twenty five.

There's ten virgins. There were ten negative spies that came back with the negative

report too with the positive again. Jacob's wage under Laban's leadership was changed ten

times. Abraham had ten trials. Israel has tested God in the wilderness ten

times. Boas sat at the gate to reason for russ in matrimony with ten

men. Daniel, the Bible says, said, let us eat our diet

for ten days, and then test us and see if we're not wiser and

smarter, than those that eat the worldly diet. With me today, I'm

here to tell you that the tithe is a test. Every time you get

paid, it's a test. Let me show you the realms in which we

get paid, because inevitably some people might think I don't get paid. So

let me just show you some list right now of certain words. Every time

you get money, a paycheck, finance, a sales, commission, inheritance,

judgments, win the lottery, find money, an allowance, checks and

raises. How much do you give to God? Next category? Please?

Every time you get bucks, bread, bacon, benjamin, scratch, chiching,

muland naro, cheddar, ducats, greenbacks are multicultural for multigenerationals. Don't

logs, rolls, cash, dollars, coins, some onlys perdamn. How

much goes to God? One more category here? Whenever you get reserves,

deposits, transactions, installments, collections, funds, and payouts and stipends.

Every person in here I've identified you today. Person here. You may not

physically get a pay check, but you get one of those in your life.

How much should go to God? And every time you get that,

God has given you a test. God has given you a test. So

With that in mind, I want to just give you some things that will

launch this message today about things that can test our heart today. But before

I do, I want to tell you a story in nineteen ninety four.

For some that wasn't too long ago. For some of you, that's everything

because you were born in nineteen ninety five or something like that. Nineteen ninety

four. January of nineteen ninety four, Pastor Diego Messa was working as an

associate assistant pastor in Pomona, California. That's why we started the church in

Pomona. I was making forty eight thousand dollars a year. I had a

non working wife who worked in their home raising our three little boys. At

that time, I lived in South Ridge, Fontana, in a very very

small home of nine hundred and seventy three square feet. I paid one hundred

and ten thousand dollars for it. And don't you wish you had my mortgage

payment, which seemed like a lot of money, or a decent amount of

money back then nineteen ninety four, I was making forty eight thousand dollars.

We were living comfortably, not poor, not rich, but we were comfortable.

In January of nineteen ninety four, the church that I was with said,

we don't have enough money. So Pastor diego, we appreciate you,

but we're gonna have to cut your salary by eighteen thousand dollars. Now,

I know eighteen thousand dollars don't mean anything to you, you big spenders.

But how many of you know that going from forty eight to thirty thousand dollars

is a big budget hit, big budget hit. Let me now, let

me go backwards a little further. In nineteen eighty, I marry this little

white girl, Cindy SEUs Smith. We marry in Pomona. We marry in

Pomona, and she had been alone and on her own for six years.

She was kicked out of her house at sixteen years old. I was still

living in my house when I met her. My mama fed me, my

mama did my laundry, my mama did gave me gas for money. I

was marrying a wo mn wom man. But remember the kid, he went

bad looking neither back in the day. But I recognized that she was very,

very good in finances, and so you have to have that talk.

And we did, and I said, Cindy, I will I will go

out and work and I'll bring home the paycheck and I'll hand it to you

because I'll may of you know, that's how you did it back then.

And I said, at that point, you're gonna pay the bills. But

since I'm the head of the household, and I'm gonna set the pattern of

what we want to do when it comes to vision, and from here on

out, we are going to give ten percent of everything that I give to

you to God into God's business, and I'm going to tithe. If there's

ever a problem, you are to come to me. At that point,

I will go to God and I will come up with a solution or remedy,

either to get a second job or do whatever I need to do.

I said, here's the ground rules. It's going to be very difficult.

But if you believe in me and you trust the God that's within me,

you'll follow me. And if you don't, it's okay. I have the

faith to take make up the difference for both of us. If it comes

between paying the mortgage or pain the tithe, you will pay the tithe.

I will downsize so that we can live comfortably, so that I will never

rob God. Number two. If it comes between a bill or pain the

tithe, you will not pay the bill. You will pay the tithe.

I will go find a second job. I will pray and ask God why

he's not providing for me when I am tithing, and me and my heavenly

Father will have a long conversation about how much am I to believe in you?

If you say you're going to do something and you don't do it,

how do I even know I'm saved? How do I know the Bible's true?

How do I know forgiveness is true? Now, listen, you have

to live a certain level of life of obedience to have a conversation with God

like that. But that's where I was at. So my little wife for

eleven years had been doing that. Then. Now I just told you,

we get hit by eighteen thousand. I look at her and say, Cindy,

don't you stop tithing? Don't you stop tithing? I went and got

a second job. I got a second job working a night shift, a

graveyard shift. How many of you guys know what a graveyard ship was.

I went to work. I started my shift at midnight. What a fun

time to go to work. I wore a suit the day before, and

I've been nine years in ministry. I'd counsel people I know, was over

a pulpit. Now I'm a warehouse guy making minimum wage, going to work

at midnight, thinking this isn't fair. But we never stopped tithing. Then

came March of nineteen ninety four, and so was now I made up that

eighteen thousand by that part time job, so I still had forty eight thousand.

Are you with me? But now comes March and the church says we

can't pay you anymore, and they kicked me out of the church. And

now I lost thirty thousand dollars. Now I'm living off of eighteen thousand dollars.

I looked at my lovely wife and I said, has God ever disappointed

us? Nope, Then here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna continue to

tithe off of everything I give. I don't care if bread goes up to

twenty five dollars, and I don't care what goes on. Me and my

heavenly Father will have a long conversation. So here's how it went down.

But at about three o'clock or noontime in the afternoon, I got fired of

thirty thousand dollars. When I went to work at midnight. I finished my

shift. I'd been working there three months. On the way there, I

was crying out to God. From Fontana to Pomona twenty twenty five minutes,

I had a long conversation nobody I wanted to talk to, but God,

Sir, what are you going to do about my situation. I've been tithing

for eleven years and I read in the Bible. I didn't write the Bible,

Sir, you wrote the Bible. You said that you would rebuke the

devour for my sake and open to me the windows of heaven. I got

a wife, I've got three kids, and I've got a mortgage, and

listen. I could call whoever I need to call to find another job,

but I need to know that you're backing me on this situation. I finished

the shift. The supervisor came to me and said, Diego, I don't

know why I've never asked you. You've been working here three months. Would

you like overtime? I said, sir, give me all the overtime you

can give me, and he gave me double ships. I worked sixteen hours,

I worked twenty hours, and I was chi chinging, bada binging.

Now listen, it made up the difference. It made up the difference.

I don't even know how it made up the difference. We never called the

mortgage company saying we were late, but we had to be thrifty. We

ate a lot of top ramen and lot of eggs and hot dogs during that

period of time. They could only go to we could only go get a

happy meal to McDonald's once a week. And I looked over those kids,

I said, oh, you will finish all that hamburger and chicken nuggets.

But God was faithful. So here's what the test of the heart is.

With a few times that I have left you and I have to have a

willing heart. We have to have a willing heart when it comes to giving.

Here's what the Bible says about a willing heart. It says, it's

two Corinthias, for I bear witness that according to their ability, yes beyond

their ability, they freely willing. You and I have to have a willing

heart that says I want to rather than I have to give. It has

to do with I have to rather than you know what I get to do,

No, I get to give. It is the willingness of the heart.

Do I do it voluntarily or I do it out of mandatory? See,

when you have a willing heart, it's a desire and a discipline.

There's a lot of people today that says, I have a desire to give.

The problem is is you don't have a discipline to give. And when

you have a willing heart, you'll not only have the desire, but you'll

also have the discipline to give. How many of you recognize that you have

ever dealt with a teenager that is not a wilful teenager? How many have

you ever had a teenager well that was a not a non willful teacher,

just a non compliant, unwilling teenager. How many have ever had an employee

that was not a willing employee in our lives? Have you ever doubt with

somebody? How many have you ever tried to walk your dog and your dog

is unwilling to be walked. I'm trying to draw the point of what it

means to be willing versus non willing. How many of you ever have a

spouse that's unwilling to do their first Corinthians seven, verse three, do benevolence

to you, and if you don't know what I'm talking about. Let it

go over your head, because this is not the time to explain it.

Do I have to do that? Then you asked for it six months ago.

Oh you're a nasty pervert, he'd say, I don't want it now.

Well, well if wait a minute, all right, are you giving

it anyway? The next say is a generous heart. You have to have

a willing heart. If you will to do something, you'll find a way.

If you don't will to do it, you'll never find a way.

The next is a generous heart. Proverbs eleven says the generous soul will be

made rich, and he himself will also be watered himself. We need to

have a generous heart, that's a liberal, lavish heart toward giving a considerate,

a thoughtful to surprise God or maybe even just simply overwhelm God, versus

being someone that's a tight wad or cheap in our in their lives. When

when it comes to giving, how many you've ever had a family. Everyone

has this, a family or friend that gives amazing gifts as pres I mean,

it just they blow you away. I mean, how many of you

know that we're coming up to Christmas? And so you have Chris Kringles.

Some of you don't want some of these people as you're Kris Kringle, because

you know you're gonna get ripped off. You're gonna go and shop and be

very thoughtful, wrap it, bake it, make it, create it,

and they're just gonna go get a certificate from Starbucks to you. But all

of us have that family member that just goes. I mean, you gave

them whatever, a twenty five dollars gift, they gave you like one hundred

and fifty dollars gift. He's like blown away. They always have quality that

they give to you. That's the way we ought to be toward God.

It's okay to be lavish toward our family, our friends in the world,

but I had to be more lavish when it comes to God. I know

this guy, he's he's very wealthy. And I don't even want to tell

you how wealthy is, but just believe me, he's very wealthy. But

he's a he's just a tight, wild, cheap scape. You would not

believe it how tight cheap scape this guy is. And so what he does

is when he goes into the theater, he buys the big bucket of popcorn

that gets to be refilled, and then he hopes and prays that they don't

market. Then what he does is he goes home, and when he goes

to the theater the next time, he takes that bucket with him and says,

you never refilled my bucket. Tell somebody cheap, oh, cheap,

cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap check. He'll go to and he's done

this many times. He'll go to a restaurant. He'll order the food and

he'll eat half of it and then complain that it was overcooked or undercooked or

cold. Then they'll send it away and he'll create a whole new one and

he'll eat half of it. Then he'll complain about something and they'll just say

write it off, just I'm not gonna pay for it at all, and

he gets a free meal. He's full. That's his amo, that's his

method of operating. One time he went to a theater a bunch of couples

together, him and his wife and somebody else bought the tickets for everybody,

so they handed him at the door and they all went in. Well,

he knew that he owed the guy that bought the tickets for him. Back.

So what he did at the end of the movie, he went to

the teller or the agent there and said, I didn't enjoy that movie.

There was just some kids sitting next to me, some loud person. I

couldn't even enjoy. I want free to free movie. He got those passes

and he gave them to the guy and he said, here's my payment back

to you for buying my movie tickets. Let's move on. I don't want

to be that. You don't want to be that. Let's just be generous.

Then there's a purposeful heart. Here's my scripture on purpose. Let each

one of you give as he has made up his own mind and purposed in

his heart. There needs to be a purpose heart, which means I mean

to do that when it comes to giving. I meant to do that when

it comes to giving, and I measure what I do when it comes to

giving. A purpose heart has a habit, a routine, and a schedule

when it comes to his giving. A purpose heart wants to honor God because

that's what the Bible says when we give. A purpose heart wants to obey

God because that's what the Bible says. When I give. A purposed heart

wants to depend upon God because that's what the Bible says will happen. And

a purposeful heart wants to please God because it takes faith to give to God,

and that's what pleases God. How many of you recognize when you mean

to do something, you mean to do something. How many of you do

not accidentally fall out of your bed and go to the gym. You purposed

to go to the gym, didn't you. How many of you accidentally eat?

Right? No, you purpose, you purpose to do that, and

nothing in life accidentally. Well you know, I'm just accidentally going to give.

No, you purposely in your heart, with a schedule and with a

routine and with a habit. Whether you and I are going to give or

not, then there's the giving heart. There's the giving heart, and the

giving heart. Scripture is this. Let giving flow from your heart, not

from a sense of religious duty. Let it spring up freely from the joy

of giving all because God loves a hilarious generosity. You know, every year

about this time during Halloween, you see these, you know, on television

programs where people put baskets of candy in front of their house on their porch

because maybe they won't be home or they can't answer the door, and so

it's filled. And then you have these cameras that come and show these people

who come and take all the candy and put it in their own bag and

walk away from it. How may have you ever seen the don't raise your

hand if that's you. But the reality is is that some people are not

giving. See some people are withholder. They're reluctant, or they're ungrateful.

More people have the get, the receiving and the keeping attitude. It's more

of the entitlement or more I want to watch you give, or it's more

of consumerism. And if I could say this consumerism is imploding and destroying the

church because people are coming to church to consume, they don't come to give.

It's all about me. You wait on my kids, You take care

of my kids. You put toilet paper in there in case I have to

go to the bathroom. I want the air conditioner on. I want my

chair clean. I want the carpet clean. I don't want no stains in

the thing. I want you to counsel if my marriage has problem. I

expect you to counsel. If I'm gonna get wet married, I want you

to marry me. If I'm going to bury, I expect you to bury

me. But I'm a consumer and the moment that you deny me, I

will leave and go and consume somewhere else. And consumerism is destroying the church

itself. And you and I have got to make sure that you and I

don't measure up to any form of consumerism in that. You know, Pastor

Adam talked about Romans the twelfth chapter, and he talked about that people have

the gift of giving, and I don't see in there the gift of receiving,

but I know a lot of people who claim that gift. I have

the gift of receiving. That's not in the Bible. The Bible said it's

more blessed to give than to receive. Everybody has to do their part.

That's why it's called this. Let me give you this phrase and you'll never

forget it. Equal sacrifice, not equal giving. That is God's method for

everybody, widow, elderly, orphan, mogul. He says this, everybody

in my kingdom who will operate in my kingdom what the benefits, will equally

sacrifice even though their gifts are not equal. That's why it's called a ten.

Whether you make minimum wage, you're going to sacrifice ten. Whether you

make a maximum wage, you're going to sacrifice ten. So yours may be

bigger or less than me, but we both equally participated, not putting a

burden on anybody. It's a perfect system. That's why God never has raised

it to eleven percent twelve percent like inflation does. God says, I have

the most perfect system, and if everybody does it, there will always needs

will always be met. There will never be wont in the church. The

vision will go forward in the Kingdom of God. Very quickly. I've got

three more minutes. It's a prompted heart. A prompted heart reads this way.

Everyone whose heart was moved moved, and whose spirit prompted him came and

brought an offering to the Lord for all the work of the tent, of

the meaning, the service, and the holy garments. We need to have

a prompted heart. I'm prompted by love toward God, gratitude toward God,

and deadedness toward God. I'm prompted by the needs that I hear are all

around me, and I'm prompted by the opportunities of what we can do when

we give into the Kingdom of God. I believe the House of God ought

to be the most excellent in quality. I believe the vision in which we

do ought to make a difference to impact unsaved people and religious people to say,

how were you able to be so generous? Then it takes a happy

heart. Then it takes a happy heart. The Bible says this, Each

one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give.

You should not give it if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced

to give. God loves those that are happy to give. I don't know

about you. When I give, I really do feel happy. And it's

beyond just simply emotion. And if you're not into that, but I want

to describe it for a moment. There's a cheerfulness, there's a delight.

He calls it hilariousness. It's fun. It's exciting when we give. How

many of you when you give to somebody and makes you feel good? Okay?

Five people. The rest of you don't know what that is, so

I encourage you to start doing it. I don't know. Let me ask

you just a natural question. When you make a payment on a bill.

Is there an emotion and feeling you get when you do that? No,

okay, that's fine. Okay, I'll come and talk to you right now.

When you make your last payment on your car? Note, how does

that make you feel? There's a feeling there. And I'm just telling you,

when you pay your ties, there's a feeling that I'm honoring God and

I'm getting involved in God's system to build his kingdom and blessings. There's an

absolute feeling that goes with that. It makes me healthy when I do that,

because it humbles me and makes me dependent on God. And I have

a happy heart because it makes the devil mad and he don't want me to

give nothing. And last of all, it's a blessed heart. And here's

my last scripture. Remember I started with this. Now it's New Testament.

Why would he say this in the New Testament if tithing and giving is not

for new believers the New test Because that's very confusing to me. I understand

you told the story in the Old testument, but why are you coming back

in the New Testament telling the same story. Because tithing was setting precedents for

all generations, that's what it is. That's why the New Testament is bringing

the same story out. For this Malechizedak, who was the king of Salem

and priests of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter

of the kings, blessed him, blessed him. And when you and I

give, we are blessed by God, which means this God protects me from

stuff and things that I can't protect myself from. No matter how smart I

am, my IQ, how many my achievements, it doesn't matter my portfolio.

I'm blessed because God provides needs and wants that I can't provide for myself.

Sometimes I need to be healed and the doctor can't heal me. Sometimes

I'm on medication for my mental illness and God is the only one that can.

My heart is broken because of something that hurt me, and only God

can restore me. God provides needs and want that I can't. He promotes

me with increase and extra that I can't get on my own. He perseverted,

He preserves me and simply watches over and keeps me when I can't protect

myself. And He promises me restoration and restitution and resources when my limitations can't.

All of those is why you and I should be a giver. I'm

going to end with these three statements. You may want to just take a

screenshot of this. This is between you and God, but I double dog

Dare you to come up with an answer between you and God? Or maybe

you want to share it with your spouse, boyfriend, and girlfriend. How

much? How much money do you need to make before you will give to

God? I don't know. I'm not telling you. I'm not going to

coerce you. I'm not giving you a no. This is between you and

God, but I want you to know. God loves to be challenged.

That's why in Malachi he says, test me a double dog Dare you to

test me? Throw a number out there, even if you think I can

get it, Because if I get it, then I'm gonna hold you too.

Will you honor me? So? What is the number? How much

money do you need to make before you'll give to God? Twenty dollars an

dollars, fifty dollars an dollars seventy five dollars anur three hundred and fifty dollars

A dour DoD's not intimidated. He's a plutocrat, He's filthy, rich.

Next, God, what kind of yearly salary do you mean to make before

you give it to God? One hundred thousand, one hundred and fifty two

hundred and fifty thousand. Figure out the figure you want to give to God,

and then put that yearly salary and we'll see if God will take your

challenge. Number three, If you got the income and salary you want,

and how much would you give to God? God loves to be challenged.

The problem is is that when He increases you to that, will you hold

to the promise and remember him? Or will you just buy a bigger house,

bigger cars, more clothing and then the next thing you know, you're

down to your two percent because you can't afford to tie. Father, I

thank you for the message today. I know it was challenging, but there

was a lot of you in it. All of you was in it,

and we feel your presence in it. God. And thank you for loving

us, Oh God, by showing us this wonderful story of Abram God,

and we can all identify in our lives with him. God. And I

thank you Lord today that you just give us the courage, You give us

the faith, give us the trust to step out and do something, Oh

God, to challenge ourselves to honor you. And as we talk more and

more about it, we will see the benefits even more in us giving.

But God, if you never promised us anything we would give because of what

you did for us on Calvary's Cross, how can we ever pay you back

for dying on a cross, giving us heaven and letting us never experiencing hell.

That's more than enough, because you really do own everything in our lives.

And if we say we surrender, then we've got to be able to

surrender in Jesus' name. Amen, I'm gonna ask that nobody move. We're

gonna walk out of this church together until the final benediction or prayer is done.

That's when you can move. Why do I want you to do that?

Because we're about ready to go spiritually fishing, and if you start moving,

you're gonna spook my fish. So stay until the very end because I'm

working about ready to go fishing right now. You know, if you were

to ask me before I got say remember those Catholicism yours, Hey, diego,

do you think that you're gonna go to heaven? I'd say absolutely,

And you say diego Why do you think you're gonna go to Heaven? I

said, because I'm a good person. Say, Diego, do you think

you're gonna go to hell? I'm not going to hell? Why? Diego,

I'm a good person. Hmm, Diego? Where is your definition?

People? And if you go to post people and ask them no two questions,

they're gonna usually say that it's gonna come out. I'm a good person.

But where is our definition of good come from? It usually comes from

comparing ourselves to someone that's worse than us. I'm good or better than them.

So I'm good compared to Charles Manson. I'm good compared to Adolf Hitler.

I'm good compared to that murderer, that rapist, that child molester.

I'm good because I've never done that. That's where we come up with our

definition of good. But let's not turn to that good. Let's turn to

this good, Diego. What is your goodness compared to Jesus? Uh?

Oh? I fall short of that, Diego. Have you ever had an

ungodly thought? Oops, I'm not good, Diego. Have you ever stolen

something? Oops, I'm not good, Diego? Have you ever lied or

cheated? Oops? I'm not good diego, Have you ever sped down the

freeway? Oops, I'm no good. See it's not about how you define

goodness. It's how He defines goodness. And the Bible says, your goodness

and my goodness is like filthy rags in God's sight, filthy rags in the

image. There is like a woman's douche. That's how I look. God

looks at good works. It's filth. It's nasty in his eyes. Because

you think your good works elevate God's good works by sending his son to die

for you. If good works can save us, then what the heck is

the purpose of Jesus? Why would I serve a God that would allow his

son to be killed? If I could earn my way into heaven, Dear

Lord, I would never follow a god like that. No, it's his

goodness that gets me saved. It's his goodness that declares me righteous. It's

his goodness I passed. John said that cleanses me, and today I reject

my goodness by accepting his goodness. Were I say it without a shout of

a doubt. I'm a Christian, but I ride the fence of compromise.

There's a little bit of Jesus in my hip pocket. But there's a whole

lot of the world in my hip pocket. And when temptation comes my way,

I can't seem to resist it. I give into it, and then

I feel really shamed and really embarrassed, and I say I'll never do it

again. But I know the roller coaster. I just really really need to

rededicate my life to the Lord. Reconsecrate my life to the Lord. God's

never left me, but I've left him. When I count to three,

I'm gonna ask you to raise your hands. As I'm raising my hand as

a sign that I accept Jesus's goodness and I accept the forgiveness of my sins.

Your hand won't be the only hand. When you raise your hand,

something liberating happens because you're raising it for Jesus, who raised himself on a

cross for you. One two, one, two three, Raise your hand.

All across is out of torum, wherever you might be. Now,

I want you to do one more thing. Just stand up wherever you are.

Stand up for Jesus. That's All'm gonna ask you to do. You

raise your hands, stand up, have the courage to make us stand now

for Christ. I want you to say this prayer with me, to say

this prayer from your lips. Dear Lord Jesus, I recognize who I'm not,

but I recognize who you are and I really need you, not just

for a job. I need you for my salvation. I'm not good,

but you are good, and through your goodness I'm accepted as good. So

Jesus, come and live in my heart. Be my Lord and Savior.

As now I follow you all the days of my life. Amen, you

may be seated. God bless you. We really hope you enjoyed the message,

and if you said yes to Jesus, we just want to say congratulations

and give you a free devotional to help you walk out your faith. Click

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